Jin’s POV
   Iemitsu-san came back with a sake bottle made of green glass. He hands it to Jin. Ayumi notices the name of the alcohol at once.

   “...Are you really going to give him that alcohol, grandfather?” she asks.

   “Of course I am, even though I’m extremely reluctant to part with it. It’s one of my top favorites, you know!”

   “I hope its name won’t end up offending Shuten Douji.”

   “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Now then, let’s go back to the room.”

   The three of them did just that right after Jin finishes his glass of iced green tea. When they got to the room with the wooden pillar, no one is inside.

   “Where did everyone go?” Jin asks.

   “I had them leave this room. Wouldn’t want them to see you entering the portal.”

   “Fair enough.”

   Jin walks over to the frozen pillar and unfreezes it. The portal appears almost immediately. Jin turns around to look at Iemitsu-san and Ayumi.

   “Well, I’m going in now. Hopefully, we’ll get some allies when I come out.” he tells them.

   “I wish you all the best, Minase-dono.”

   “Good luck, Minase-kun.”

   Jin steps through the portal. He didn’t know what to expect, but he finds himself inside a ruin. The portal on this side is right in front of a rotten wooden pillar, which is quite identical to the one on the other side. The roof of the ruin is gone, and Jin can see the sky. There’s no sun there. it’s either one doesn’t exist, or it’s hiding behind the clouds. Either way, he can still see his surrounding clearly, for some reason.

   Upon exiting the ruin, he realizes that he’s in the ruined version of the world he lives in.

   Yup. The size of the ruin he just exited is the same size as the shrine he left at the world he’s from, and the scenery he’s looking at right now is almost identical to the one he saw back at his world. Interesting. Well, enough sight-seeing and time to find Shuten Douji.

   He said find, but turns out it wasn’t that difficult. He sees lots and lots of onis some distance away. Behind all those onis is a raised platform with a huge throne on it. On the throne sits a huge oni with a single curved horn sticking out from his forehead. He may or may not be Shuten Douji.

   On the oni’s left is a female oni. She has two horns on her forehead, and she’s a bit shorter than Estyshana. Her skin, however, isn’t red like the rest of them, but pale. And she’s wearing a white kimono.

   Jin slowly walks towards the throne. While he’s approaching, all the onis are glaring daggers at him. Well, except the female oni.

   All the onis are just like the ones Jin saw in websites and books: tall, burly, red-skinned, has at least one horn, wearing loincloth made of tiger skin and uses a spiked club as a weapon. Jin notices that one of the oni who’s standing at the front has a broken right arm. He takes it that he’s the one whom arm he broke.

   “How’s your arm?” he asks that oni casually.

   The oni merely snarls and growls at him instead of answering.

   “Is it okay if you guys make way for me, fellas?” Jin asks the onis. “I want to speak to your boss.”

   “Let him pass.” a voice which implies zero tolerance for disobedience orders them.

   Jin looks up. It was the huge oni who spoke. Upon hearing those words, the onis make way for Jin so that he could pass through. He passes through the crowd wordlessly and stands in front of the raised platform.

   “Are you perhaps Shuten Douji the oni?” he asks the oni.

   “Indeed I am.”

   Upon closer look, Shuten Douji looks like any other of his subordinates: red-skinned, tall, muscular, mouth full of sharp teeth, and unruly long hair. Instead of loincloth made of tiger skin, however, he’s wearing one made of bear skin. His single horn is also curved and far longer than those of his subordinate. There’s also a spiked club as almost as big as he is leaning against the throne right next to him. Most notably, though, his eyes instils fear. If Jin was an inexperienced warrior, he would most likely have knelt before the leader of the oni.

   “Why are you here, human?” Shuten Douji asks.

   “To persuade you to join forces with the onmyojis.”

   There was a single second of silence. In the next, all the oni except the female one burst into laughter, Shuten Douji himself included.

   “Do you seriously think I would actually agree to that? Us, the onis, fighting alongside the despicable onmyojis? The very idea is insane!” he chortles.

   Jin shrugs. “It’s either that, or I’ll be taking your head. I don’t really care which option I have to go for.”

   The laughter stops at once. Shuten Douji narrows his eyes.

   “You must be beyond insane if you think you can take on all of us by yourself. Or are you expecting your human allies to come to your rescue as you run your mouth just like the female human who came before you?”

   “Female human?”

   “A foolish one, that was. She was a mere shrine maiden, and yet she said that she’s here to seek peace between humans and youkais. Naturally, I laughed at her idiotic ideal and attacked her. She had no choice but to fight back.”

   “Let me guess. You killed her.”

   “That I did. She was skilled for a human, I’ll admit that much. Even so, she was no match for me.”

   Ah, so that’s what it was. Shuten Douji killed Ayumi’s elder sister. At least, that’s the conclusion Jin reached after connecting the dots made up of the things Ayumi, Iemitsu-san and Shuten Douji said. It’s a good thing Jin came here instead of Iemistu-san. Who knows how the elderly man would have reacted in front of the oni who took the life of his granddaughter.

   “Before we begin, you should drink this. It’s a gift.” Jin says as he tosses the bottle of sake towards Shuten Douji.

   The oni grabs the bottle and chomps off its neck. He then spits out the chomped part before downing the content in a single gulp.

   “...Ah, that hits the spot! If anything, you humans are good at making alcohols. That seems to be the only redeeming trait you possess.”

   “You used to be a human too.” Jin reminds him.

   “Exactly. I used to be one. Not anymore. Being an oni is so much better. AIN’T I RIGHT, BOYS?”

   All the onis present roar in agreement.

   “Well, each to his own taste, I suppose. I’m not going to judge.”

   Shuten Douji then notices the name of the alcohol.

   “...Onigoroshi? Really, human?”

   “It wasn’t mine.”

   Shuten Douji tosses the bottle away. It shatters on the floor the moment it made contact.

   “Hmph. No matter. Now then. Shall we?”

   “Let’s.” Jin agrees.

   In an instant, Felfarthen is on his left hand. On the next second, Jin is already right in front of Shuten Douji, the tip of his sword aimed straight at the oni’s chest. Just as the demon’s chest was about to be pierced, his club parries Jin’s thrust. Jin looks to his right. The female oni stayed way out of their fight.

   Shuten Douji swings his club so swiftly the speed cannot be caught by untrained eyes. Unfortunately for him, Jin’s eyes are well-trained, and he managed to dodge the swing by doing a somersault. The moment he lands on the ground, he dashes forward while trying to pierce Shuten Douji’s chest again.

   “You never learn, do you human?” the leader of the oni laughs.

   He does a thrust of his own with his club, and Jin barely manages to dodge it. The club probably weighs half a ton, and yet Shuten Douji can wield it around like it has the same weight as a feather.

   “Here’s another one!”

   Another monstrous swing. Jin blocks it by using Felfarthen. Shuten Douji is so strong Jin used both his arms. Impressive strength. It’s been a while since he blocked an attack, much less using both arms.

   “My turn.” Jin says.

   He twists Felfarthen’s hilt, and the sword separates itself into two. Jin swings the separated swords downwards continuously while Shuten Douji blocks the blows with his club.

   “Come on, you’re not attacking anymore. Is this the best you can do?” Jin taunts.

   “Don’t. Get. Carried. AWAY!”

   More swings of his club. Jin starts to think that Shuten Douji is actually just a muscle head-

   CRACKLE!

   A lightning bolt falls from the sky. Jin manages to dodge to the side right before it lands. As Shuten Douji continues his swings, more and more lightning bolts appear.

   “Come on, human! Is this the best you can do?” Shuten Douji taunts back.

   Jin takes a look at the lightning with Eye of Truth. It has the strength of a Level 8 Spell, which is the same as Naga Bolt that he cast the other day.

   Nothing to worry about, then.

   Another lightning bolt is about to strike Jin. He uses the sword on his left hand to slice it into two.

   “What the-”

   Jin looks at Shuten Douji. He’s absolutely dumbfounded by the fact that Jin managed to slice a lightning bolt in half. He uses this chance to charge forward. Shuten Douji is half-a-second late at getting his club in a position to block. As a result, Jin’s sword managed to slice his chest diagonally.

   “AAAAAAAAARGH!!!”

   The oni’s loud roar almost deafened Jin. Even so, he has zero plan on stopping his attack. His raises the sword onhis right hand to do another slash, but this time Shuten Douji is ready for it.

   “NAIVE!”

   Shuten Douji opens his mouth real wide, and a lightning bolt flies towards Jin.

   “You’re the naive one.”

   Jin grips the sword on his right hand and slice upwards. Both the lightning bolt and Shuten Douji were cut. For the latter, Jin made sure to make the wound not too severe.

   “Ah…Gah…”

   Blood comes out of Shuten Douji’s mouth. Just as he was about to collapse, his managed to support himself with his club.

   “This can’t be. Our boss is actually in trouble…”

   “That looks bad.”

   “Let’s go help him!”

   “Yeah, let’s do it!”

   “DON’T YOU DARE!”

   Their leader’s bark stops them in their tracks.

   “This is a fair one-on-one fight. No one is allowed to interfere, you hear me?”

   Shuten Douji then shows Jin a forced smile. His expression shows that he’s in pain.

   “It’s your win, human. If you cut was slightly deeper, I would have been dead. Do as you wish with me.” he wheezes.

   “Before I decide on what to do with you, I need to ask you a question.”

   “What is it?”

   “That female human’s corpse. What did you do with it?”

   “Ah, her corpse. I waited for three days so that her comrades can retrieve it. However, they never came. In the end, I took it upon myself to cremate the body and store the ashes inside an urn.”

   “Where’s that urn now?”

   “Inside a small shrine that I built myself. My daughter can bring it to you once you’re done with me.”

   Jin looks at the female oni again. She’s on the verge of tears, but she’s not coming forward to stop him from killing her father.

   “I beg of you. Do not harm her…”

   Jin assembles Felfarthen so that it’s a doubled-bladed sword again.

   “I’m not going to. Nor will I finish you off.”

   “...Do you truly mean it?”

   “Yeah. On one condition, though. You have to work with us now. You and your entire army.”

   “Deal. All of us here shall join forces with you and fight our enemies to the death if necessary.”

   “I’m glad that we managed to reach an understanding.”

   The female oni sobs loudly and rushes to Shuten Douji’s side immediately. She then hugs him.

   “Get away from me, Meiko! My blood will dirty your clothes!”

   “I don’t care, father! You’re much more important!” the oni called Meiko sobs loudly.

   Jin waits patiently until Meiko let goes of her father.

   “Can I have the urn so that I could hand it over to the onmyojis?” he asks them.

   “Of course. Bring it over, Meiko.”

   “Yes, father.”

   Meiko leaves the platform and soon returns with a clay urn. He stores both the urn and Felfarthen inside the Vault. Both the father and the daughter are surprised of what Jin just did, but didn’t ask any questions.

   “Well then, I’ll be heading back for now. Please don’t try to invade the human world in the meantime, at least until we’re done with the other two.” Jin tells Shuten Douji.

   “We shall stay put as you asked. Just one thing. If you have yet to formulate a plan, it’s wise to make one quickly. The other two are much more cunning and diabolical than I am. They may be hatching a plan of their own as we speak.”

   “Thank you for your advice.”

   “One last thing. What is your name, human?”

   “It’s Minase Jin.”

   “Minase Jin. I shall remember that name.”

   Jin wastes no time in heading towards where the portal is and go back to his own world. Iemistu-san and Ayumi were waiting for him eagerly.

   “Have you managed to convince Shuten Douji to fight with us?” Iemitsu-san asks Jin.

   “Yes, I have. The method I used was crude, but it was effective enough.”

   “I see. That’s good to hear.”

   “And oh, he gave me a return gift.”

   “He did? What did he gave you?”

   “This.”

   Jin brings out the urn. The two of them draws their breath sharply.

   “Is that urn…what I think it is?” Ayumi asks while trembling slightly.

   “It’s the urn that has your elder sister’s ashes in it.” Jin confirms.

   “May I, um, may I have it?”

   “Of course. It’s all yours.”

   With trembling fingers, Ayumi accepts the urn from Jin. She hugs it tightly with tears in her eyes.

   “Thank you, Minase-kun. I can never repay you for this.”

   “Don’t mention it.”

   “Ayumi, store the urn at a safe place and tell the others. We’ll be having her funeral soon.” Iemitsu-san instructs Ayumi.

   “Yes, grandfather!”

   Ayumi leaves in a hurry, eager to arrange a funeral that her elder sister deserves.

   “How did you even come across the urn in the first place, Minase-dono?” Iemitsu-san tells Jin.

   “Well…”

   Jin tells the Head everything that happened over there.

   “...I see. So Shuten Douji actually cremated her.”

   “That’s the main reason I spared him. If he turned out to be a soulless murderer who desecrates the deceased, I would have cut him down without mercy. I was honestly surprised by his action, though. I always thought that he’s a stone-cold killer from all those stories I read about him.”

   “Believe me, he was. There’s a reason why he’s being listed as one of Japan’s most evil youkai. You mentioned that he has a daughter?”

   “Yes, an oni with a pale skin called Meiko.”

   Iemitsu-san grunts. “Perhaps parenthood has soften him.”

   “I have something that I need to ask you, Iemitsu-san.”

   “What is it?”

   “Shuten Douji told me that none of you went through the portal to search for your elder granddaughter, even though three days have passed. Why is that?”

   Iemitsu-san’s expression darkens. He goes out and checks that there’s no one outside before opening his mouth.

   “Please keep what I’m about to say between us and us alone. Not even Ayumi knows this.” he whispers.

   “I promise.”

   “The thing is, it’s not that we don’t want to look for her. It’s that we were forbidden.”

   “By whom? Your leaders?”

   “Yes. The Yamauchi family, whose headquarter is located at Kyoto, rules over all the other onmyojis in Japan.”

   “But, why would they forbid you to look for your family member?”

   “You might already have guessed, but the occupation of onmyoji is one that is very gender discriminatory. Only males are allowed to become one. Females, no matter how strong their spiritual power is, are never allowed to step foot on the battlefield. The most that they’re allowed to do are acting as dancers during the festivals and become shopkeepers to sell charms and whatnot.”

   “Is it because of the backwater thinking that women should stay in the kitchen?”

   Iemitsu-san nods.

   Jin rolls his eyes in annoyance. There it is again. The stubbornness of the Japanese.

   “Asuka, my eldest granddaughter, was blessed with potent amount of spiritual power. Unfortunately, she was born in the wrong house, one that would never allow her to use her abilities.” Iemitsu-san continues. “Asuka was very adamant, however. She kept on asking me to train her so that she could hone her skills and help those in need. It didn’t take me long to relent and trained her as asked. Since I broke the rule, I figured that I might as well train Ayumi too, since she also shows promise. Ayumi was especially ecstatic since she has always respected the head family and wanted to be an onmyoji one day.”

   “Let me guess. The Yamauchis found out, and they tried to stop you from training them.”

   “Yes, but I refused to budge. I told them that I was merely teaching them how to defend themselves and have zero intention on allowing them to take part in onmyoji activities. Three years ago, Asuka went to talk to Shuten Douji all by herself. You know the rest.”

   “And the Yamauchi forbid all of you to search for them because?”

   “In their eyes, she has defied their order even though they have specifically forbidden women to take part in onmyoji activities. As such, she is as good as dead to them.”

   “They’re trying to use Asuka-san’s incident to discourage other girls and women to stop being ambitious, aren’t they?”

   Iemitsu-san nods grimly.

   “You said that you didn’t tell Ayumi about this. What did you tell her then?” Jin asks next.

   “That I did sent people over to the other world and search for Asuka, but they failed to find her.”

   “Well, I guess it’s better this way. I don’t think she wants to know that the head of the organization that she respects so much actually left her sister to die.”

   “Indeed. It pains me to both left Asuka at the world of the youkai like that for so long and lie to Ayumi, but there’s nothing I could do.”

   “I’m not going to comment on any of that, but I will say this. I don’t think I can rely on someone who’s fine on abandoning one of their own, no matter the reason. I’m more comfortable at working with the onis.”

   “Understandable. But please don’t try to provoke them and make matters worse.”

   “Don’t worry, sir. I’m not that immature. As long as those onmyojis are staying out of my radar, I’m fine with leaving them alone. That said, will any of the other onmyojis be fine with working together with their enemies?”

   “They will be extremely reluctant, I can tell you that. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m sure that they’ll cooperate, or least not kill them on sight until the other two youkai leaders are taken care of.”

   “Well, I need to make some phone calls to gather some more allies. Please excuse me for a moment.”

   “Of course. Please take your time.”

   Jin leaves the room and takes out his phone. He then scrolls through the contacts and search for the names of the people he wants to call.